1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a novel variable rate spray control device for controlling a sprayer, particularly, an agricultural sprayer.
2. Description of Related Art
Sprayers are widely used in agriculture and horticulture for applying chemicals (e.g., insecticides and fungicides) or fertilizers to crops, to protect the crops from diseases, insects, and to facilitate the growth and harvest of the crops.
Most agriculture/horticulture sprayers are designed to be mounted on or towed by a vehicle on the ground, or carried by airplanes or helicopters. These sprayers typically include one or more storage or supply vessels, a left and a right boom or other manifold systems which carry a plurality of geometrically arranged spaced nozzles along its length, a pump for pressurizing and distributing the fluid through pipes or hoses to spray nozzles, and means to control the pump, boom, and spray nozzles.
Modern agriculture/horticulture sprayers typically have a boom with multiple spray sections that can be independently controlled. Usually a master control means is used to control the entire boom, while each section may have its own control or switch (see, e.g., FIG. 1). As sprayers get larger and the number of sections and spray nozzles to be controlled increases, the spray control system, or the switching system, tends to get more cumbersome and complex. Understanding the spray control system often is difficult, and it could take considerable effort to mastering the operation of the spray control system. In addition, using a separate switch for each section of a boom requires a considerable amount of space, which prevents ideally locating the switches in a convenient location.
It is therefore desirable to provide a relatively simple, and easy to understand and operate, spray control switching system for controlling agriculture/horticulture sprayers, particularly large, multiple section sprayers.